He also issued a state- ment complaining about the premature release of the resignation "by the Prime Minister's Office". The Prime Minister's press sec- retary dented that the Prime Minister's office was responsible for this pre-

mature release.

Mr Fraser left his house

to see the Gov- ernor-General at about 4.20pm. As he was leaving, he said, "I wrote to the Prime Minister informing him of my decision.

"I had Intended to visit the Governor-General to- morrow. That was in my letter to the Prime Minis- ter. I am visiting the

Governor-General now. When I have seen the Governor-General, the text of my letter will be re-

leased".

Mr Fraser said that he would make no further comment until he was given leave to make a statement in the House of Representatives. He re- turned to his house about 5.45pm.

He said that he would be seeking leave to make a statement in Parliament today, "and I presume I will be given leave. I will

then take up my duties as a private Member of Par- liament and a farmer".

Asked whether he had spoken to the former Prime Minister, Sir Rob- ert Menzies, Mr Fraser said he was one of the few who did call on Sir Robert and agreed that he had seen him in Melbourne on his return from Tasmania last week.

Mr Fraser's Canberra house is in a quiet cul-de- sac in Deakin, ironically called Daly Place. The white two-storey house with neatly kept lawns is a few hundred yards from the Prime Minister's Lodge.

Visit by

PMG

The Postmaster-General, Sir Alan Hulme, arrived at the Fraser house shortly after Mr Fraser had left for Government House. He waited for about 10 minutes and left declining to make any comment. Sir Alan returned and saw Mr Fraser after his return from Government House.

Mr Fraser drove himself to Government House in a white BMW saloon car.

The following is the text

of Mr Fraser's letter to the

Prime Minister:

"My dear Prime Minis- ter,

"This letter is to advise you that I have considered the events of recent days carefully and deliberately.

"I regard your conduct as Prime Minister as one which indicates significant disloyalty to a senior Min- ister.

"Such a situation is not tolerable. I therefore resign, and will be deliver- ing a letter to His Excel- lency, the Governor-Gen- eral tomorrow morning.

"I intend to seek leave to make a statement after Questions tomorrow.

"Yours sincerely,

(signed)

Malcolm Fraser". Mr Fraser later released this statement: "This letter was given to the Prime Minister at 1.55pm on Monday, 8th March, 1971.

"Because my decision was prematurely released by the Prime Minister's Office, I visited the Gov- ernor-General at 4.30pm on Monday, 8th March, 1971, instead of on Tuesday morning".

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Oppo- sition spokesman on de-

fence, Mr Barnard, also is- sued a statement yesterday, which said, "Mr Fraser's resignation has resolved his difficulties with the armed services — difficulties which could well have been insoluble.

"He has extricated him- self from the decision making processes involved in getting Australian troops out of Vietnam.

'Excellent

position'

"Whether by force of

circumstances or calcu- lated design, Mr Fraser has put himself in an ex- cellent position to contest the Liberal Party leader- ship after the next Fed-

eral elections.

"Allowing for the palp- able political advantages accruing to Mr Fraser, it must be conceded that his resignation is a rare act of political self-abnegation.

"Two former members of the Cabinet, Mr Fair- bairn and Mr Fraser, will now sit on the back benches of the Govern-

ment.

"This points an obvious moral to rank and file members of the Liberal and Country Parties, and to the electorate".